i am on the east coast which is getting over hurricane sandy and people don't have anything left. host: you said you plan to spend about the same. how much did you spend or plan to spend this holiday season? caller: i was trying not to go into my personal story but i am disabled. i have diabetes so i don't really spend much on anything. that is not really the point. guest: as much as consumers seem like they are having short-term memory and starting to return to pre-recessionary levels, we are seeing consumer debt levels come down. that could be an indicator as much as americans are very concerned about consumption, they are also very concerned about their financial well- being. it will see whether they will cancer each -- cancel each other out. there are some trends that bode well for overall financial health -- the idea that debt levels are starting to decline is a good thing. host: about whether or not holiday spending helps our economy -- here is holiday sales and the economy -- how does that compare to years past and what impact does it have? guest: some people are predicting